30 September 2017

Figure of Borussia opposite the S-Bahnhof, Wannsee, in Berlin. Source.

Morton host Falkirk.

Not so long ago Falkirk seemed the likeliest team to take and hold first place in the 2017-18 Championship. But with seven weeks completed the Bairns have yet to win a league match. They have three draws and four losses and have sat in ninth place every week but one. They sacked manager Peter Houston on Sunday. Today they are under interim manager Alex Smith, who is 77 years old and thus the oldest manager in Europe.

Morton hold fifth place and could end the day as high as third or as low as seventh.

Centre back Luca Gasparotto plays for Falkirk. He was with Morton two years ago.

Other match of the day: Dunfermline vs Dundee United. If the Tangerines beat the Pars then the Buddies could take first place with a win over the City. [Dunfermline 1 - 3 Dundee United. St Mirren also win and take over first place.]

How well have Championship clubs fared in their first game after a mid-season managerial sacking or resignation?

2017/2/18 Raith Rovers 1 - 1 Hibs

2016/11/12 Queen of the South 2 - 0 Alloa

2016/9/24 Dunfermline 4 - 3 St Mirren

2016/4/23 Queen of the South 3 - 1 Livingston

2015/12/26 St Mirren 1 - 4 Livingston

2015/12/19 Alloa 0 - 2 St Mirren

2015/12/8 Dumbarton 5 - 0 Alloa

2015/3/14 Alloa 1 - 3 Falkirk

2014/12/20 Rangers 2 - 0 Livingston

2014/12/20 Rangers 2 - 0 Livingston

2014/9/13 Falkirk 1 - 1 Queen of the South

2014/2/8 Dundee 1 - 0 Hamilton

2014/2/1 Dundee 1 - 1 Alloa

2013/9/14 Livingston 2 - 2 Morton

Teams in bold have just changed manager. Their combined record the next game is: 6W, 4D, 4L. Their away record is: 2W, 2D, 3L.

(Kenny Shiels' resignation came after the final game of 2013-14, so he's not included.)

1978-79. Tuesday, September 26th, 1978, Morton travelled to Boundary Park in Oldham to play Oldham Athletic in the return leg of their Anglo-Scottish Cup quarterfinal. Oldham won 4 - 0, advancing to the next round on a 4 - 3 aggregate score. Morton were out. Oldham went on to be runners-up, losing in the final to Burnley.

On this date in 1978 Morton travelled to Easter road and played Hibs to a 1 - 1 draw. Alistair Scott was the Morton goalscorer.

1933-34. Morton beat Arbroath 3 - 0 at Cappielow.

1944-45. Morton beat Celtic 4 - 3 at Cappielow.

Rank the 2017-18 Championship clubs by percentage of Scottish League seasons spent in the top division.

St Mirren 98 of 122 80%

Falkirk 69 of 110 62%

Dundee Utd 59 of 94 62%

Inverness CT 12 of 24 50%

Morton 54 of 119 45%

Dunfermline 38 of 93 41%

QoS 21 of 89 24%

Dumbarton 19 of 112 17%

Livingston 5 of 43 12%

Brechin City 0 of 81 0%

If you live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, what is your local SPFL team?

According to Google, it's Greenock Morton, at a distance of 4217 km or 2620 miles. Looking at the map I can't believe Stranraer is not closer, but according to Google that is 4219 km away, or 2621 miles.

Why are there so many German football clubs named Borussia? And where is Borussia anyway?

Borussia is neo-Latin for Prussia. You might think of Prussia as being off in the north-east corner of Germany, but over the course of the 19th century it acquired most of northern Germany, including a huge Rhine Province. During the time of the German Empire (1871-1918) the Kingdom of Prussia comprised seven elevenths of Germany.

This was also the period in which a lot of football clubs were being founded. So you have:

This ends the Tohoku League Division One for 2017. Cobaltore win the league and move on to the Regional Promotion Series and a chance at promotion to the JFL. Sendai Sasuke and [Merry] are relegated to Division Two.

24 September 2017

I am indeed surprised that a people over whom Achilles once ruled had a reputation for magic so lasting that actually Menander, a man with an unrivalled gift for sound literary taste, gave the name "Thessala" to his comedy, which deals fully with the tricks of the women for calling down the moon.

Her governess, who had nursed her as a child, was named Thessala and was skilled in necromancy. She was called Thessala because she had been born in Thessaly, where diabolical enchantments flourish and are taught. The women of this land practise magic spells and bewitchments.

23 September 2017

Oor Wullie's new statue is ideally positioned for firing peas at Robert Burns' butt. Source.

Morton visit Tannadice. With luck the Tangerines will be wearing that orange and brown strip of theirs that must have been designed by someone who only had the eight colour Crayola marker set.

Morton can move into first place today if they beat Dundee United and Queen of the South beat St Mirren and Brechin beat Dunfermline. It's a tall order, especially the last part. Conversely, if Dundee United, Queen of the South and Livingston all win then Morton will end up sixth.

After six league matches Dundee United have five goals for and five against. Has a team ever finished the season with fewer gf and ga than gp? Sure. St Johnstone finished in fourth place in the 2014-15 Premiership with 34 gf and 34 ga, and went to Europe.

[Dundee United 2 - 1 Morton. Goal by McHugh. Quitongo hamstring!]

Also in Championship play, Dumbarton visit Inverness CT. >>> This is the first ever league match between these two clubs. <<< ICT began in the fourth tier club in 1994-95, and were promoted to the third tier in 1997 just as Dumbarton were being relegated from the third tier to the fourth. Dumbarton have been in a lower league every year until now. (The Sons have played Caley Thistle twice in the League Cup. And they did meet both Inverness Caledonian and Inverness Thistle in the Scottish Cup.) [Dumbarton win 2 - 1.]

1978-79. Morton hosted Rangers in front of a crowd of 16,500 and played them to a 2 - 2 draw. Morton's scorers were Alistair Scott and Andy Ritchie. It was six weeks into the schedule and Rangers still didn't have a win.

21 September 2017

Life in Renaissance Denmark was no bowl of cherries. In fact, King Christian II's mistress Dyveke Sigbritsdatter was killed on this day in 1517 by eating a bowl of poisoned cherries. Painting by Vilhelm Rosenstand.